West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-07-14
+ MINOR MISCELLANY.

a pressed brick is being made OF ashes and
cinders In San Francisco.
Cambridge, the seat OF Harvard Univer-
slty, has 3,6&j illiterates out of totCl popu-
lation Of 47,6J2
The London Times says that there arc
lew more handsome coins than the United
States so gold piece.
Senator Sherman has recently pur-
chased forty building lots in the north>
cast section Of Washington and will soon
commence improvements on them.
Mrs. Cleveland's shoes worn in the
Adirondacks were pair Of No. 81, for
which she paid s.. At least such is the
exceedingly important statement made
by Washington shoe dealer.
Phil. ID. Armour placed TO the personal
credit of the son who recently graduated
from college, the sum of 81. 600, 600, and
also made the young man a member of
the Armour firm. Then he told him TO
hustle The Chicago operators say
that young Armour Is Obeying instruc-
tions.
DO you own a canary If so, has it
ever entered your mind that the grocer
may have pure and poor seeds aud foods1
On, no; not until you come TO the cage
some day, and find your pet either dead
or sick, and not until then you ask your
sell the question. what may have caused
this sudden changel After examining
the seed, you discover that it was filed
with poi oued weed seeds, full of dust,
and of the poorest quality.
Mr.. Henry Ray, Of Texas, has dis
covered the secret of the quail's being
able TO hide so we'll. He was walking
IN field when a covey OF birds was
startled frou its resting place. One
alighted near him, and the moment it
did SO, seized dead oak leaf, crolched
to the ground and managed to hide it's
self completely under the leaf. Mr.. Ray
said that he had to go aud turn over the
leaf before he could believe the evidence
OF his own eyes.
Four crows alighted in the rigging of
the Minnie Eaton, six miles out at sea,
and settled themselves to roost. Three
were captured, but the other escaped.
The csptives were placed in a ballast
basket In tue ships boat and ONLY sue
piled with food and water. When the
ship reached Orfordness one hundred and
fifty miles distant from the spot where
the birds come aboard, the crow that
no SNNdpO It's
coming from the land I'm alightIng in
the rigging. After resting awhile it
flew the basket and perched near il.
The basket was opened but the crows
refused to leave, and stuck to the ship
until its arrival az Dartmouth.
Morelia, a Mexican city of 80, 600
inhabitants, has 500 priests or one to
every 40 souls, The city is great
ecclesiastical stronghold, the center of
learning, there being colleges there over
300 years old, at which the sons of the
Tarascan kings were educated. Here
also is an unfinished penitentlary. In
1S4S they sent TO the United States for
plans for model prison. They selec.
ted the Eastern Penitenliary Of Pennsyl~
vania as the one to be copied, and set
about making a dupn ate of it. When
the walls were well up that eccentric
and irregular ruler of Mexico, Santa
Ana, experienced some pressing need
for money, and took forcible possession
of what remained Of the penitent airy
fund, 100000
a curious incident occurred recently
on one of the bridges crossing the river
Limat, which flows through the CITY of
Zurich, illustrating the sagacity of the
gulls or terms frequcnting some of the
Swiss lakes. A gentleman who for
amusement, was in the habit OF feelinp
these birds with the refuse of meat,
which they are very fond Of had his
hat knocked off into the rapid current
by one of the more eager gulls lowering
around. The look rs-on laughed at the
mishap, and boat was about to be put
mt Infn tho q 20 h.
when to the surprise of everyone, a gull
was noticed to dar. down upon the float
ing hat. After several Intellectual at,
tempts it succeeded at last in rising with
1t in his beak, and flying toward the
bridge, to the establishment of every.
one, dropped the well-soaked hat where
the bystanders at once secured it for its
owner.
Charles Mcbride is the night manager
Of the American District Telegraph Com
pany in New Jersey City, Recently,
when the good people in the city were
sleeping, Mcbride had occasion TO
answer a burglar alarm call on Newark
avenue. lie had gone but block when
he heard a fluttering sound, and instant
ly alterward large object dashed
against his hat. Mcbride was dazed for
n moment. lie then became aware that
the object was huge owl. lie has but
one arm, and when the talons of the
bird sank in his hat and face he was al
most powerless TO resist tile assault.
Half an hour liter the owl attacked
Fritz Growheim, of First street. Grow
heim had heavy cane with him. He
succeeded in striking the owl heavy
blow on the neck and broke il. 1t was
by this time nearly daylight, and quite
crowd OF carly pedestrians gathered
about the German and tic dead owl
Among hem was ur. Mcbride. lie was
going home. When he saw what had
happened, ho said. pointing to his face
and hat:-'I tackled that owl myself
half an hour ago. but I was afraid to say
Sd Tor fear the bows would say / had